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Phineas and Ferb Wiki:Tri-State Gazette/Issue 51
Here's an example of a picture from the same viewpoint as in "Candace Loses Her Head". (Picture not available from the Pix Micro camera because I accidentally deleted it.) Now obviously, if you're looking solely at resolution and memory capacity, there's other cameras that exceed both for just a little bit more money. So what do these two cameras offer that make them worth buying? They have the following advantages: * They've got Perry and Agent P on the cover. (What more do you need?) * Greater durability via the fixed lenses, which is a plus for their target consumers (kids) * The Disney Pix 3.2 software, an easy-to-use picture editor that offers a nice selection of editing tools and the "Disney Magic" backgrounds/images with masks built in for combining pictures together. Themes include popular Disney series like Cars, Toy Story, Pirates of the Caribbean, Camp Rock, the Disney Princesses, etc. * The Pix software automatically moves the pictures off the camera into the software's photo albums when the camera is connected. * The Pix Micro camera can function as a web cam. (Camera only, no sound.) * Both use inexpensive standard batteries. About the only problem I had with either camera was when I tried to save a picture from the Pix software. When you save your pictures, you're actually saving a project that has commands that include all the special effects, stamps, text, etc., that you've applied to the picture, and they stay in the software's photo workspace. To save a picture to a different area on your hard drive, you have to Export it. I think getting pictures out of the Pix software could be made easier and more intuitive. Both cameras can typically be found at Toys R Us stores, but at the moment, only the Pix Click camera is listed on their website, so here's a link to the Pix Micro camera over on Amazon. For the next few items, they are examples of why it pays to go into the local stores. In each case, the company's website does not list them. I know that merchandise changes frequently and some products are only available for a short period of time, but a lot of people are missing out on some pretty neat items because they might not have a store near them and wouldn't be aware that they existed because they're not on a website. So, here's a few gems that I found while on my trip: Last year, I had mentioned finding this strange-looking Agent P figure at a Disney Store. The store I stopped at had a new one for Perry, and there isn't a name on the tag, so I asked the cast member (employee) about them. Apparently, they don't have any kind of official name, so they are referred to as "Squishies". It's as good a name as any because the body and the hairs(?) are definitely squishable. They were $7.50 each. The closest thing I had been able to come up with before was a "Koosh ball", but now Toys R Us has an "Original Koosh" for Agent P, Phineas and Ferb, which you can see in the picture above on the right. I don't recommend throwing them as hard as you would a regular Koosh ball because the bodies are made out of a hard plastic. Also, the strings in the balls are made out of latex, so if you're alergic to latex, that would be a problem for you. I can't find the receipt right now, but I think they were about $7 each. Back at the Disney Store, they had these small test tubes of Instant Snow for $2.99 each. Naturally, they're packaged as a "S'Winter" item. There's a similar product over on the ThinkGeek website, so you can get some background about how Santa uses it during his summer runs and in hot climates. You can see a picture of it with the Agent P Koosh. One tube makes six cups of Snow. A couple of notes about the Instant Snow. It's non-toxic, but don't eat it because it tastes bad and you'll have to have your mouth rinsed out with a lot of water, followed by your parent inducing you to vomit and a trip to the doctor. The directions say to add a "generous amount" of water when mixing the Snow, but do it the other way around: add a little bit of water and keep mixing it. When all the water's gone, add a little more until it's a nice fluffy powder. It will dry out after a few days, but you can just spray it with some water to revive it. You can also freeze it to make it feel like real snow and add colored water when you first mix it to get colored snow. Finally, I've shown you some backpacks before, but they have all been standard backpacks. As I was heading out of the mall from the Disney Store, I saw the Phineas and Ferb display that the FYE music store had at the front. Amongst the items was an Agent P backpack. This is an actual Agent P backpack, not a backpack with Agent P on it. He's a really soft stuffed backpack that has a zippered compartment that can hold a soda can or 1 litre bottle, or other objects about that size. It was $24.99 and as I mentioned before, it is not on the FYE website. I just found it over on the Hastings website, but there's a couple of important notes: it's $40 on the Hastings site and the picture is probably a pre-production image. The actual backpack looks almost exactly like the Agent P Plush toy at the Disney Store site. I've confirmed that the UPC code and manufacturer (LoungeFly) match what's on the tag of the one I bought, so if you couldn't get the backpack at a local FYE store and decided to order it through Hastings, there's a good chance that you'll get the same one that I bought. (Disclaimer: I can't guarantee that will happen, but I've done what I can to verify the information and it's not unheard-of for a website to use a placeholder image that doesn't match the final design.) I found a couple more items on my trip, but I will hold them until next time. As always, reviews of the P&F items you find are always welcomed. Share with us the neat stuff you get. |} Got a question or comment about this issue? Leave a message on this issue's Discussion page. |} Category:Tri-State Gazette